Textile machine



Feb. 25, 1969 /C/G. f

T. E. PITTs 3,429,116

TEXTILE MACHINE Filed May 8. 1967 y\\/ v 56.2 al L j u i 30 a? -sz United States Patent O 9 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A random doif textile machine capable of applying a filling wind to a bobbin, and having a plurality of stations, each comprising supply means, guide means, means for taking up a finished product, and means common to all of the stations which will permit the individual dofiing of a bobbin at any of the stations and the readying of the station for further operation is described. As a preferred embodiment, a random doff spinning machine having a plurality of spinning stations, each comprising a roving supply, draft rolls, and a bobbin for taking up spun yarn, and means common to all of the spinning stations capable of limited vertical movement for mounting a ring and traveller is described. The ring and traveller will move with the ring rail but are constructed and arranged to have a predetermined advance permitting the application -of a `filling wind to the bobbin.

Field of invention This invention relates to textile equipment and machinery. More particularly, the invention is directed to an improved ring rail and associated mechanism lfor use on an automatic spinning unit comprising a spinning ma- Background and prior art Conventional spinning machines have a plurality of spinning stations comprising a roving supply, draft rolls, yarn guide means, a bobbin for taking up spun yarn, and a ring rail and traveller for controlling the yarn as it is wound on the bobbin. When in operation, the machines are serviced manually by a skilled operator to assure that all of the stations are performing properly. Periodically the entire spinning operation is interrupted and the bobbins at each station doffed, fresh bobbins donned, and the plurality of stations otherwise readied for continued spinning. Since the units are maintained manually, and all the stations dofied and otherwise serviced simultaneously when the spinning operation is interrupted, it is possible to adjust the movement of the ring rail on the ring rail on the machine to permit application of filling winds of various types.

More recently, however, in the aforesaid application Ser. No. 534,081, an improved spinning unit is described which includes a conventional spinning machine in combination with a patrolling tender. The patrolling tender travels in a closed circuit or .back and forth adjacent to the spinning machine and Iwhen sensing a full bobbin or a missing yarn strand at a spinning station stops and services the spinning machine including dofing the full bobbin, donning a fresh bobbin, readying the station for continued spinning, and restarting the spinning at the station, and thereafter continues on its patrol. According to the aforesaid device, to permit a random doff, a common ring rail for the plurality of spinning stations is rice utilized which travels continuously in a vertical path from top to bottom of the bobbin applying a wandering warp wind on the bobbin. A platform on the tender is synchronized with the ring rail movement to permit servicing of the unit. In view of the wandering warp wind, it is immaterial, insofar as point of time is concerned, lwhere the winding is interrupted.

Although the aforesaid spinning unit is eminently satisfactory since it greatly decreases labor costs inasmuch as the number of skilled operators required is greatly reduced and decreases idle machine time, for certain applications, such as for winding bobbins for use on looms. it is desirable to apply a filling wind directly to the bobbin on the spinning machine.

Objects and brief description 0f the invention Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic and random doti textile machine capable of applying a filling wind. It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic and random doif spinning unit comprising a spinning machine and patrolling tender capable of applying a filling wind.

It is another object of this invention to provide an automatic random doff spinning unit comprising a spinning machine having a plurality of spinning stations, and a patrolling tender wherein the spinning machine comprises a common ring rail carrying rings mounted thereon for each spinning station, said ring rail being capable of limited movement in a vertical direction, whereby the rings gradually advance due to the movement of the ring rail, said rings being capable of individual resetting.

It is another obje-ct of this invention to provide an automatic spinning device comprising a spinning machine having a plurality of spinning stations, and a patrolling tender wherein the spinning machine comprises a common ring rail having rings mounted thereon which traverses a limited ver-tical distance, whereby the rings follow the ring rail, -but are advanced a :predetermined amount at the end of each stroke of the ring rail.

These and other objects of the invention will be more fully apparent from the following detailed description with particular emphasis being directed to the drawing.

The objects of the present invention are accomplished by replacing the standard ring rail of a spinning machine having a plurality of spinning stations with a ring rail which carries a ring for each station of the spinning machine which are suitably mounted on the ring rail and movable in a vertical direction. The ring rail is constructed and arranged to traverse only a limited vertical distance. The rings mounted thereon are constructed and arranged to follow the movement of the ring rail. However, the downward movement of the rings will be shorter by a predetermined amount, or the ring advanced at the end of each stroke. The extent of the vertical movement of the shaft, and the shortening of the return stroke of the rings will be determined by the amount of yarn feed required and the type filling wind to be applied to the bobbin. When the ring rail reaches the top of a predetermined path, or it is desirable to terminate the cycle at a particular station for any other reason, and the bobbin is to `be dotted, the ring is reset to the lowermost position by trip means associated with the patrolling member.

As is apparent there are various means for accomplishing the intended results. Furthermore, although reference is made herein to an automatic spinning unit, no attempt is made to provide a detailed description of the aforesaid type of machinery. However, the subject matter of commonly assigned copending application Ser. No. 534,081 is incorporated into the present disclosure by reference. It will be apparent that the modified ring rail as disclosed herein can be adapted to the spinning machine described in the application, and the patrolling tender modified and programmed to utilize the invention. The method and techniques of adapting the present ring rail to the unit in view of our earlier disclosure is within the ability of one skilled in the art and does not require detailed discussion herein.

Having described the modified ring rail and associated mechanism in general terms, reference will be made to the drawing to define a preferred embodiment and give a more complete explanation of its utilization.

Drawing and detailed description In the drawing, FIGURE l is a front elevation of a section of -an automatic spinning machine modified accordin g to the present invention, only enough of the actual spinning machine being shown as needed to convey the manner in which the invention is accomplished, certain parts being cut-away or omitted for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of a section of the ring rail and associated mechanism of a single spinning station; and

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the mechanism taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2 illustrating in phantom lines how the mechanism can be reset.

The' spinning machine utilized according to the present invention is of conventional construction and operation and is well known to those skilled .in the art and requires no detailed description herein. Accordingly for sake of conciseness and clarity, only so much of the details of the spinning machine will be described as needed to illustrate the present invention. Referring primarily to FIGURE 1, it is seen that the spinning machine comprising a fixed frame supported by legs, not shown. The frame provides support for a plurality of spinning stations each comprising a roving supply creel 11, guide 12, draft rolls 13, 13a, and 13b, and a spindle 14 for holding a yarn take-up bobbin 15. Each station is separated from the next by separators 16.

According to the present invention, the standard ring rail of the spinning machine is replaced by ring rail 17 which, like the standard ring rail, extends the entire length of the spinning machine and has cam means 18 driven by motor means, not shown, to continuously move the rail 17 up and down through a limited chase. At each spinning station on the ring rail 17 a nut 20 having teeth 21 on the lower surface thereof is mounted onto the lower surface of ring rail 17 by retainers 22 which fit into a groove 23 circumscribing the nut. A rod 24 with left-handed threads is screwed through the nut 20` and a ring 30 with a traveller 31 is fixedly retained at the top of the rod 24 extending from the top surface of the ring rail 17. The rod 24 and ring are stabilized by guide 32 attached to the ring and rod 24 by extension 33. A spring loaded camming lever 25 having a transverse extension 26 is pivotally mounted on frame 10 by mounting means 2S. The camming lever engages the teeth of nut 22.

In the operation of the spinning machine, the up and down movement of the ring rail 17 through its chase is followed by the rod 24 and, accordingly, controls the filling wind of the yarn Y which is being spun down from the roving supply through guide 12, draft rolls 13, 13a and 13b, and ring and traveller 30 and 31 to bobbin 15 which is being rotated by spindle 14. In order to advance the ring and traveller 31 to obtain a uniform filling wind over the entire height of the bobbin, at each downward stroke of the ring rail 17 cam-ming lever 25 advances the nut 20 one notch.V In essence, therefore, the downward stroke of the ring rail 17 is always greater than the downward stroke of the ring 30 and traveller 31 permitting the ring and traveller 31 to gradually advance axially of the bobbin 15. As seen most clearly in FIGURE 1, the ring 30, traveller 31 and rod 24, as shown in solid lines, will start at the top surface of the ring rail 17 and at the bottom of the bobbin, and eventually will move to the top of the bobbin as seen by the phantom lines. The length of the vertical movement of the ring rail 17 is normally about two inches with the movement of the rod 24 being shortened by about 1A inch. As is apparent, however, the actual determination of the amount of the chase and the shortening of the downward stroke of the ring 30, and traveller 31 is dependent upon the yarn being fed and the type of lling wind desired.

In order to be able to randomly doti' the bobbins as they are filled, or if it is desirable to terminate the operation at a particular station for some other reason such as a broken yarn strand, it is necessary to be able to reset the rings 30 and travellers 31 individually. According to the present invention, and in the embodiment shown, when the patrolling tender senses a full package P and/ or a broken yarn strand Y and desires to service the spinning station, it properly positions itself in front of the .spinning station requiring servicing by suitable braking and stop means. As one step in the servicing operation, a lever arm 40 having a wheel 41 and a cammed surface 42 is brought into frictional engagement with nut 20, causing the nut to lspin rod 24 and the ring 30 and traveller 31 to the lowermost position. As is apparent from FIGURE 3 of the drawing, camming lever 25 is necessarily disengaged during this operation by cammed surface 42 on lever arm 40 which engages the transverse extension 216 of the camming lever. Accordingly, the ring 30 can be individually reset to its lowermost position rendering it immaterial at what point in time, the spinning operation is interrupted at a particu- Ilar station for donning and doffing a fresh bobbin 15.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a spinning machine, it will be apparent that it will find application in 4other textile machines, such as twisters, or the like, where a fill wind on a bobbin is desirable. It should be appreciated that the instant invention is not to be construed as being limited by the illustrative embodiments. It is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed. Such embodiments are within the ability of one skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. Textile apparatus having at least one yarn processing station along which yarn is advanced including, rotatable take-up means for receiving the advancing yarn, traversing means for guiding the yarn to said take-up means, said take-up means having first and second ends, reciprocating means arranged for alternate movement between a first position proximate to the first end of said take-up means and a second position intermediate the first end and second end of said take-up means, said reciprocating means being operable in the course of said alternate movement to impart a to and fro motion to said traversing means to distribute yarn in a predetermined zone on said take-up means, and adjusting means responsive to movement of said reciprocating means to adjust the position of said traversing means and thereby vary the zone in which the yarn is distributed on said take-up means.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said adjusting means includes a rotatable member for supporting said traversing means; and means operable to turn said rotatable member upon movement of said reciprocating means to said first position.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for turning said rotatable member includes a toothed element connected with said rotatable member, and lever means operable to engage said toothed element upon movement of said reciprocating means to said first position.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said takeup means includes an elongated spindle, and said traversing means includes a ring and traveller assembly movable axially of said spindle, said rotatable member being operable when turned to advance said ring and traveller assembly incrementally axially of said spindle.

`5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 including cam means operable to move said lever means to a position disengaged from said toothed element, and an actuating member operable when said lever means is in said disengaged position to turn said rotatable member in a direction opposite to that in which said rotatable member is turned by said toothed element and lever means.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said reciprocating means includes an elongated rail for supporting said toothed element; second cam means for reciprocating said rail, and retainer means mounting said toothed element on said rail for rotation relative to the rail.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including at least a second yarn processing station disposed beside said one station, said reciprocating means including an elongated rail extending between both of said yarn processing stations, said traversing means including a separate ring -and traveller assembly at each said station, and said adjusting means `including a separate means at each said station for mounting an associated one of said ring and traveller assemblies.

S. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein each said separate means includes a rotatable member; and including a separate toothed element engageable with an associated lever means for rotating each said rotatable member independently of the others to thereby move its associated ring and traveller assembly.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein each said station is provided with cam means operable t0 move each said lever means to a position disengaged from said toothed element, and an actuating element for each said station operable when each said lever means is in said disengaged position to turn the associated one yof said rotatable members in a direction opposite to that in which the rotatable member is turned by its said toothed element and lever means.

References Cited STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner.

W. H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

